38 Super

I found a Taurus .38 Super for under $400 at a local gun shop, and i am wondering if this is worth the price? The gun appears to be in good condition, the bore is good and everything appears works as it should. I don't remember the model number. My dad has sworn for years about the .38 Super, just figured i would ask you guys.

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mavracer

November 16, 2007, 12:26 PM

if it's a pt1911 that's a good price if it's a pt38s which is a hybred between a beretta 92 and a sig. that's way too much I just ordered a new one from CDNN for $350.
as to the 38 super it's a great cartrage but you kinda need to reload.

bl4ckd0g

November 16, 2007, 10:42 PM

I got my pt38s off gunbroker.com from a dealer named Paula Bostrom at $340. She was great to work with and she even takes credit cards.

Add at least another $35 for shipping and FFL transfer, so you'll still come out ahead since you won't have to pay local sales tax.

It's a tough as nails gun as it survived my 'learning curve' to handload. I currently use it to shoot Kemp's nylon coated lead bullets at about 8 cents per reload. My only complaint is that the sights needed adjusting and I don't like the cheese grater plastic grip panels.

kansas45

November 17, 2007, 12:40 AM

I don't know about that gun, but I really like the 38 Super round. It is hard to find ammo, but easy to reload for. I hardly take the 9mm's out of the safe any more. The Super is much more fun!:D

bannockburn

November 17, 2007, 06:41 AM

Sounds a little high; saw one at a local gun show a little while back, and a dealer was asking $375 NIB for one.
If you can find a Colt Commander in 9mm, it's easily converted to Super 38 with the addition of a barrel assembly, ejector, recoil spring, and a magazine. That gives you two guns using the same platform, with the 9mm giving you cheaper ammo to practice with, and the Super 38 giving you a high performance cartridge to play around with.

wally

November 17, 2007, 07:35 PM

RIA makes a 1911 .38 Super you can generally find for under $400 new, $380 at today's gun show, I'm tempted but reallly don't need another caliber that you need to reload to get the most out of. Also you might need better sights -- I sure would.

EAA makes the Witness in .38Super, and if you already have a steel large frame Witness in any caliber you can get a .38Super upper from Reed's for ~$200 -- this is probably what I'll do when I decide I need another caliber to reload :) These have sights I can use.

--wally.

steelyblue

November 17, 2007, 08:09 PM

Why is the .38super fun? I've seen a lot of guns chambered for it, but I don't know the attraction. The border patrol down here confiscate many 1911's chambered in the super from the drug runners. That's about all I know about it.

vector248

November 17, 2007, 09:49 PM

thanks for all the views, i passed on that pistol...again, it is nice but i think i will wait on anoter. I had a EAA witness 9mm and really liked it so i might wait on one of those on .38 super.

steelyblue

November 18, 2007, 05:10 PM

I was just going to ask if someone could answer my previous post. Bump!

Thanks.

ArchAngelCD

November 18, 2007, 05:29 PM

The 38 Super is a high powered round in a small package. When reloaded it is also very versatile since you can load is very light for targets or very heavy to almost 357 Sig numbers. It's an outstanding round that never really took off in the mainstream for some reason but it should have. You can reload the 38 Super with a wide range of bullet weights from 90gr all the way up to 150gr and all are accurate. If you ever get a chance to shoot one don't pass up the chance. It's longer than the 9mm Luger (Luger = 9X19mm) at 9X23mm and similar to the 9 mm Steyr and 9 mm Largo.

steelyblue

November 18, 2007, 05:35 PM

Thank you. If I ever get a chance, I will definitely try it out.

bannockburn

November 18, 2007, 06:05 PM

steelyblue

The reason that they're so popular south of the border, is that Mexican law prohibits citizens from having guns in any caliber that the military (and possibly the police), use. Think about all the military weaponry out there, and then find a caliber that still is potent enough to do the job effectively. Many European countries also have similiar laws and that's why they have pistols chambered for 9x21 instead of 9x19, for instance.

steelyblue

November 18, 2007, 06:27 PM

That makes a lot of sense, bannockburn.

If people want a wealth of 1911's in 38super with gold "bling" components, then come visit the Rio Grande Valey, Texas. We have a whole lot of them that go from confiscation to local gun stores. They are as ugly as the cars down here!lol. I like to customize for functionality, not glitz. To each his/her own.

bl4ckd0g

November 18, 2007, 10:40 PM

Good choice on the Witness. You can also safely shoot 9x23 winchester loads from it if you get a 2lbs heavier Wolff recoil spring.

The 9x23 picks up where the .38 Super leaves off in terms of power. You can match heavy .357 magnum loads if you work it up carefully.

You might also want to check out the 9x23 forum on pistolsmith.com to get a better understanding of the possible hiccups with your new Witness.

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